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Both Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga are fantasy anime that have touched the hearts of many. While Attack on Titan has been an emotion more than an anime for many, Vinland Saga, with its brilliant storytelling brings about a certain sentiment of peace among viewers. The final season of Attack on Titan and season 2 of Vinland Saga getting released in 2023 has enabled anime fans to find a connection between the two.
Attack on Titan explores topics such as freedom, death, and the dirty nature of politics, while Vinland Saga is a revenge story with deeply-rooted realism. Both are similar on a broad scale, but it's evident that the objective of the two are not the same.
Both anime go on to tell the story of their respective protagonists and as such any comparison between the two can only be done in the context of the two main characters, Eren and Thorfinn.
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How Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga are different
Eren Yeager, the protagonist of Attack on Titan starts out as a young boy feeling trapped in his own life. Eren lives in Eldia, a nation surrounded by walls. From a young age, Eren dreamt of the world outside and wanted to enjoy it with his friends, Armin and Mikasa.
One day, two powerful titans breach the walls of Eldia, enabling several smaller titans to enter. After the initial onslaught ends, Eren, whose father is missing, finds himself on a rescue boat, having witnessed the terrible sight of a titan eating his mother. Therefore, his journey begins as an orphan with nothing but an immense hatred toward Titans.
On the other hand, Thorfinn Karlsefni, the protagonist of Vinland Saga, is a young Viking who, on witnessing the death of his father, is unable to deal with it, feeling that he must kill Askellad, the man responsible for his father’s death.
Vinland Saga paints a picture of how the revenge-filled teenager roams the world working with Askellad, only for a chance to kill him someday. Even though both Eren and Thorfinn start as orphans with an immense hatred towards the world, their philosophy and approach towards life could not be more different.
Both Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga have similar thematic messages. They deal with important topics such as war, freedom, and the justification behind violent acts. Vinland Saga puts forth the ideology that true happiness can be achieved only when violence is forgotten, while the point of Attack on Titan is that total freedom means happiness and therefore one must keep pushing forward no matter what.
A contrast of ideology and philosophy
To understand Eren Yeager, one must first understand what freedom and free will mean to him. Even though they might seem like the same thing, to Eren they are two very different things. Free will is a decision-making process, essentially a way of life, while freedom is simply one's ability to do whatever one wants in life.
Eren believed that he would be truly free when he reached the ocean and was able to savor it with his beloved friends. However, when he eventually does get to that point, all he can think of is his enemies. Eren had convinced himself that he was special and fundamentally a good human being, but this is not necessarily true.
The truth is, in Attack on Titan, Eren Yeager was who he was because that's how he was born. All the tragedy in his life had simply revealed his true self. Eren is not good or bad, but simply a complicated individual, capable of doing incredibly kind and insensitive things at the same time.
The way he killed two people to save Mikasa initially seemed like a hero's work, but considering that Eren was 12 and the way he handled the situation, gives one an idea of how scheming and manipulative he might have been.
Freedom being something so important to Eren is precisely what he took away from his friends in Attack on Titan. Eren did exactly what he wanted and what he thought was right for the world, not giving his friends choices of their own. Many fans believe what Eren did at the end of Attack on Titan was justified, but the question remains: Could he have not found a more humane way to do it?
Similarly, Thorfinn spent the initial years of his life as an assassin, being a part of various battles and killing countless people on command. He simply looked at it as a stepping stone in his path to kill Askellad, with complete disregard for everybody else.
In his years as a slave, Thorfinn meets his best friend Einar and this changes the course of his life in the most unexpected way. Einar is a farmer from Northern England, who was sold into slavery after his village was attacked. As a result, Einar hates war and injustice, teaching Thorfinn about the pain felt by common people and providing him with a very important outlook on life.
Over the years, Thorfinn starts repenting for his previous sins and realizes how much pain he has brought to other people in his quest for revenge. Thorfinn, unlike Eren, is somebody who was truly changed and defined by his circumstances. His mind had become so streamlined with revenge that he lost the ability to consider other people's pain and suffering.
In one of the most iconic episodes in season 2 of Vinland Saga, King Canute asks Thorfinn what his intentions are for the future. Thorfinn replies by saying he wishes to run away and never fight again. He wants to go somewhere beyond the King's reach and create a paradise for all people who don't have a place in Canute’s world. A utopia for all those who are suffering.
Concluding thoughts
Both Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga are incredibly deep, demonstrating different perspectives on life. Eren's perspective is that he must fight for everything in this world because he wants everything to be exactly how he imagined. However, Thorfinn is willing to compromise and therefore chooses the most peaceful alternative. Both fight for themselves and the people that they love, but in very contrasting ways.
Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga give us important messages worth understanding and remembering. Both protagonists are similar and yet different in their own unique ways. The stories of both these shows give people a new outlook on life, enabling them to comprehend certain things about themselves as well.
